Blooming Witch Hazel
It’s wonderful to see the gardens transform this time of year.
Last week, we had a brief stretch of warm, springtime weather. Many of our spring bulbs began peeking through the soil all around the farm. This is also the time when all the witch hazel shrubs are blooming. With their fragrant, golden yellow to orange flowers, witch hazels add a lovely spark of life to otherwise drab winter landscapes.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
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- Witch hazel grows as small trees or shrubs with clusters of rich yellow to orange-red flowers.
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- It is great for splashes of winter color. They’re very hardy and are not prone to a lot of diseases.
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- Witch hazel is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae. Most species bloom from January to March and display beautiful spidery flowers that let off a slightly spicy fragrance.
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- These plants perform best in full sun, or filtered shade in hotter regions. They prefer well-amended soil and regular water, and are tolerant of acid or alkaline conditions.
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- There are four types of witch hazel – Hamamelis virginiana, Hamamelis vernalis, Hamamelis japonica and Hamamelis mollis. All of these produce flowers with strap-like crumpled petals.
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- Hamamelis mollis, or Chinese witch hazel, is the most fragrant of all the species. Chinese witch hazel begins blooming as early as January and has buttery yellow petals and clear yellow fall foliage.
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- Japanese witch hazel, Hamamelis japonica, has showy yellow or red flowers.
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- American Indians first discovered that witch hazel bark, boiled into a tea or mixed with animal fats into a poultice, has therapeutic qualities.
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- Its leaves, bark and twigs are used to make lotions and astringents for treating certain skin inflammations and other irritations. This is Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Feuerzauber’.
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- Witch hazel works well as a natural remedy because it contains tannins, which when applied to the skin, can help decrease swelling and fight bacteria.
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- The flowers are able to curl inward to protect the inner structures from freezing during the winter.
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- Witch hazels also possess shallow, slow-growing root systems, which do best in large planting areas to ensure normal growth and development. Fortunately, I have a lot of room to grow these pretty shrubs.
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- While most varieties reach 10 to 20 feet high and wide at maturity, witch hazels can be kept smaller with pruning once they are finished blooming.
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- Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’ is a popular cultivar with its coppery orange flowers that appear in early to mid-winter.
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- Today, gardeners usually plant witch hazel for its ornamental qualities – in spring and summer witch hazel is a very attractive plant with dark green leaves and graceful, spreading vase shapes.
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- Hamamelis vernalis is native to Missouri and Arkansas – this is the most shrub-like species. Its yellow or red flowers are small, but profuse and appear between January and April.
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- Hamamelis vernalis ‘Amethyst’ is the finest red flowered witch hazel. It has a long flowering period throughout midwinter and is lightly scented.
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- It’s a good idea to water witch hazel plants during dry periods, particularly if they are young or still establishing. Witch hazels need little feeding, but may benefit from a top dressing of balanced fertilizer in early spring.
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- Hamamelis virginiana is the most common native witch hazel in North America.
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- Hamamelis virginiana is found in wooded areas from Canada to Georgia. Clusters of citrus-scented petals appear in late fall before the leaves have dropped.
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- Christened Hamamelis virginiana by Linnaeus himself, the father of botanical nomenclature, back in 1753, witch hazel takes its common name from wych, an Old English word for flexible or pliable, and for having leaves very similar in shape to those of hazelnuts or filberts.
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- Witch hazels can thrive in many gardens given the right conditions and care. I love seeing the witch hazels in bloom – it’s a good sign that spring is just around the corner.
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